It’s safe to say that we’re about to plunge head first into another recession. And it’s about time, because recessions tend to happen every 7-8 years, so we’re a bit overdue. If you haven’t already, now is the time to start bracing yourself for this eventuality. It’s just like any other disaster. If you prepare yourself ahead of time, you stand a better chance of staying above water when everything goes to hell.

One of the many ways you can position yourself to survive and succeed before an economic calamity, is to consider what skills will be in demand when money is tight across the board. I’m not talking about a total financial collapse and the breakdown of society, where suddenly blacksmiths and cobblers are in high demand. You just have to ask yourself, which jobs are going to be available during a recession, or even a prolonged economic depression?

Given past trends, I’ve selected 7 industries that I believe are going to experience either growth or stability in the next recession. It is by no means a complete list, so feel free to share your own job ideas in the comments below.

Transportation

Specifically, truck drivers. Just because the economy slows down, doesn’t mean businesses won’t stop needing things delivered to their stores. Granted, fewer goods will be delivered during a recession, but there is and has been a really high demand for truck drivers in the United States, in both good times and bad. That’s because it’s not a desirable job, and there is an unbelievably high turnover rate. That employee turnover rate often increases during a recession because wages will drop, meaning there will be even more available jobs. It’s not pleasant work, but a job is a job and this line of work can put food on the table when times are tough.

However, it may not be wise to turn this into a long-term career. It’s very possible that self-driving cars will start taking over the roads in the near future, and automated semi trucks are already in the works. This line of work should still be available by the time the next recession arrives in another 8 years, but after that, all bets are off. Alternatively UPS/Fedex/DHL delivery jobs should be around for a while, though it’s hard to say when the act of delivering a package will be automated as well.

Renewable Energy

Anything related to renewable energy will likely continue to experience growth during a recession, for the simple fact that governments, companies, and individuals all want to save money. While there are several different kinds of renewable energy such as wind, biomass, geothermal etc, solar has been leading the pack for some time now and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Regardless of whether it’s the manufacture, transportation, marketing, or installation of solar panels and accessories, you can expect growth in this field during a recession.

Keep in mind though, that during a recession the most significant business growth in this field will be seen in commercial and government projects, rather than residential installations. While solar panels undoubtedly save money, they also have heavy up-front costs that will be easier for large organizations to afford. The same goes for other forms of renewable energy.

Sales and Marketing

It doesn’t really matter what business you work for, or even if you work for yourself, most things don’t sell themselves. And in a recession, the ability to convince other people to buy a product or service suddenly becomes a much more valuable skill. It could be a sales, merchandising, advertising, or copywriting position. If you have a knack for closing a deal or enticing new customers, you should do well in any company, or any economic climate.

Security

It’s no secret that crime rates often go up when the economy falls apart. To be fair, burglaries, murders, and robberies didn’t go up in the US during the last recession, but that usually isn’t the case. When you look throughout history, in any place in the world, you’ll usually find that all sorts of crimes become more frequent when there is less money to go around. If the crisis is so bad that otherwise successful people fail to earn enough money to feed and house themselves and their families, you can expect to see more crimes in your neighborhood.

On top of that, recessions often lead to fewer tax dollars in the coffers of the government, which means there won’t be as many police officers on the streets. Small businesses, corporations, gated communities, and even governments, will start to outsource their security needs to the private sector. Security guards are in high demand during recessions, and it doesn’t typically require very much training to enter this field. Almost anyone without a criminal record can find a job as a security guard.

And you can expect growth in this sector even during good times. The truth is, most cities in America have massive financial liabilities related to the pensions of their police forces, and they may not be able to afford them in the future. At some point within the next 20 years, you can expect to see massive police layoffs, followed by an abundance of opportunities in the private security sector.

Medical

Pretty much every job in the medical field is expected to see double-digit growth over the next decade. Granted, people avoid most non life threatening medical procedures when the economy is bad (especially dental procedures), but growth will continue in this sector regardless of the economic climate. We live in a pretty unhealthy society, which combined with our rapidly aging population, means business will be booming for a long time.

And you don’t necessarily need to be a doctor or a nurse to take advantage of it. There are plenty of jobs in the medical field that don’t require a 4 or 8 year college degree. There are EMTs, surgical technologists, phlebotomists, lab assistants, and physical therapy aides. Even security guards and janitors can make above average wages compared to their peers, in a hospital setting.

Food Production

During a recession, you obviously want a job that pertains to an industry that people simply can’t do without. Food certainly falls under that category. However, you don’t want a job related to industrial farming. That employment field has consistently shrunk over the years due to automation. The production of organic food is where it’s really at.

Whether it’s growing organic food, shipping it, marketing it, or selling it, that’s the food industry you want to be in. Organic food sales have increased year after year since 2000. There was a slowdown in sales during the last recession, but growth in that industry continued nonetheless. More and more people are seeing the benefits in eating healthier food, and many of them are willing to pay more for it, even when they don’t have as much money. Which makes sense, because who are we kidding, what good is money when you’re too sick to earn it and too frail to enjoy it?

Vice

I hate to suggest this since it’s a rather unsavory business, but our vices are real moneymakers in hard times. However, not all vices are created equal. The gambling industry for instance, took a huge hit after the last recession. Tobacco sales often take a hit as well. The vices that do thrive in bad times, are the little things. Alcohol and junk food do particularly well. The demand for Marijuana often increases as well which, considering how many states have been legalizing that drug lately, it may be a very lucrative trade to be involved in during a recession.

Joshua Krause was born and raised in the Bay Area. He is a writer and researcher focused on principles of self-sufficiency and liberty at Ready Nutrition. You can follow Joshua’s work at our Facebook page. Joshua’s website is Strange Danger

Tess Pennington is the author of The Prepper’s Blueprint, a comprehensive guide that uses real-life scenarios to help you prepare for any disaster. Because a crisis rarely stops with a triggering event the aftermath can spiral, having the capacity to cripple our normal ways of life. The well-rounded, multi-layered approach outlined in the Blueprint helps you make sense of a wide array of preparedness concepts through easily digestible action items and supply lists.

Tess is also the author of the highly rated Prepper’s Cookbook, which helps you to create a plan for stocking, organizing and maintaining a proper emergency food supply and includes over 300 recipes for nutritious, delicious, life-saving meals.

Visit her web site at ReadyNutrition.com for an extensive compilation of free information on preparedness, homesteading, and healthy living.

Copyright Information: This content has been contributed to SHTFplan by a third-party or has been republished with permission from the author. Please contact the author directly for republishing information.

Bill collectors and repo men will have short life spans, sorta like the angels from that dragon movie that came out a few years back, except they wont die honorably doing a noble deed, they will be shot or beaten to death taking stuff from folks down on their luck, start screwing with people on the edge and your number will get moved further up the line

All she’s got to do is create a huge public disturbance while on your dime. She gets a roof over her head, a meal, and a slap on the wrist (again). You on the other hand get real jail time, your name on a list, and subsequently become un-hireable.

One of these people has an advantage in this situation. Hint: it’s the chick haggling to double the price after the fact, or else.

Besides to be blunt why would you pay for something that has exactly zero intrinsic value?

These chicks have had way too high of an opinion of their “product” for entirely too long of a time now. Time to value it at what it’s actually worth: a gym sock.

Well I figured you would make it to the convo. 😉
And you are right about lot of “chicks”. They will be in trouble because they have no skills whatsoever. Except that mentioned above and some of that is questionable. Some wont be able to do without their makeup and cry over a broken nail. Lol. And whine loud.
Sounds like you’ve had a crappy situation. Don’t think they are all like that. A lot..but not all.
FYI, it’s the OTHER way in my situation. Don’t forget some males are worth about the same. And I don’t have a dime after twenty-something years. I gave up my work to take care of someone who ( Is disabled – va ) constantly biches about how I cook food ( which I have been doing that since I was eight.) Makes more messes than I can clean up. And I get nothing. Not even respect or a thank you. A camp might be a vacation to me.
My dog is worth more. Now ain’t that a damn shame. ( not talking about my dog..)
So don’t blame one side when there can be or are two sides to the story.

I absolutely do not deny for a second that a great many males are just as bad. Upwards of 50-60% in my estimation. And then there are the ones that put up with the most incredible outlandish BS and do it to themselves. I was one of those. Done.

It gets me when chicks expect a free ride because of their monopoly on reproduction. It’s going to be quite the shock to them when it’s valueless, and that’s already most of the way here thanks to how society “works”.

Sounds like you’re fighting the good fight… or… well. I guess the fight that’s been dealt to you. My mother was like that too. Women like you are as rare as golden chicken eggs these days. It’s sad, you roll the clock back about 80 years and maybe 1/2 to 3/4 of women were pulling their own that hard. I think you have to roll back to 1820 to get to “overwhelming majority (90% +)”.

Gotta wonder though how well the bill collectors and repo. folks would do with a really pissed off population after the SHTF situation. Do you really think many would tolerate someone coming to take their stuff? peace

I think the time to be in renewable energy is just before a collapse, when people who see what’s coming still have money to act. Right now, solar prices have come way down to the point that it is actually cheaper in many places to be on solar than the grid. If I wasn’t in a neighborhood that will likely be on fire when the crash hits, I would be switching to solar energy right now. It is a far more logical choice than being grid connected when grid prices could fluctuate wildly should the dollar suddenly lose value. With solar, you stabilize your electric price for the next 20-25 years and do you really think that energy prices will be anywhere near as cheap as they are now that far in the future?

These are grid tie systems, which frankly I agree with that, the batteries are expensive as all hell and a huge pain in the ass anyway. If you managed “full off grid” you’d manage it for a mere 5 years before you had to replace the batteries (from… where… exactly…)

So, yeah it’s great now, and I’m looking at it, but isn’t this all dependent on the power company’s willingness to pay you for electricity you feed back to them? If they stop being willing it stops making sense. Most of your electric use is AT NIGHT… and you got no batteries.

So really what you’re doing is generating electricity to sell to the power company.

Well, you don’t necessarily need to buy batteries from a solar system supplier. Think about what else uses large battery packs now… cars. A new Tesla Model S uses an 85-90kw battery pack. They are scrap when they deteriorate to only 70% capacity, but that would be perfect for a house. Electric cars have been on the road in ever increasing numbers since the early 2010’s. Some of them are now needing new packs, but the old ones are being used by people for their houses. It’s not just Tesla either, as Nissan has sold over half a million Leafs, which I believe have a minimum of a 35kw pack. The next generation of affordable electric cars will have 200-300 mile ranges with 60kw packs for around $30-35k (next gen Nissan Leaf, Chevy Bolt and Tesla Model 3), which should speed up the adoption of these vehicles and bring more used batteries to market within a 3-5 year timeframe. As they seem to have fairly long lives (some are near 200k miles on original packs), ones from wrecks should provide an excellent and inexpensive source of energy storage for a fairly long time.

Why didn’t I mention hybrids like the Prius? They usually use NiCad batteries and do not have the same characteristics as the LiPO and LiFePO used in pure electrics which tends to make them less space efficient for similar storage capacities.

Sometimes it is easier to build your own piece by piece, but sometimes not.
Most everything comes from china , but whos fault is that?
Sell to the utilities. ..to hell with them. They charged the crap out of people for a long time. I would have NO intention to sell anything back.
Um, candles or a lamp is good for the night. And in the winter it can make some good heat too.
Batteries are not so bad especially if you take care of them. Initially the price might be a shocker, but it pays off. We had six golf cart batteries in our boat. And you could use anything.
Underground, a candle will work good for heat. Doesn’t take much.
Myself, I would prefer to live underground. Unfortunately where I live, boulders in the dirt get in the way and neighbors would be pissed if you blew out their wells. Some of you may know what im talking about. It is too close to their area.
But then again, I didn’t choose this place.

Know more than a few folks who were alive during WWII
Almost all say food stuff was either in short supply, rationed, expensive or in some cases non existant because of needing to feed troops overseas etc. All of them remember having gardens and livestock, doing all their own baking. At least here in the islands that was the case, fuel, tires, auto parts, oil, same thing. Ammo same thing. Lots of folks fished, hunted, the hunters all used dogs and a knife,

I know someone else who got out of the same place Selco was in with nothing but their PJs and socks, somehow scraped it up and made it here to the islands, not here legally but lives way better than he would have had he stayed, his family was killed,
Personally ive been sort of unvoluntarily practicing for a collapse, had my crop fail so was the same thing as if the economy shut down, its been interesting. Suddenly my plan B became the only plan,

Depends on growing the right weeds. Dandelion greens and wine were a hit during the great depression, and lambs quarters were once a nutritious food staple grown in gardens long ago, now considered a weed that invades them.

We have a vine growing here, most folks call it chayote, we call it pipinola,
Is a squash looking thing, people eat it green, i like them ripe, creamy white, the shoots can be eaten too, steamed, sauteed, stir fried with spam!

Got those here too.
Also have wild hogs up here as well as bear and elk. Im sure they will be disappearing asap. There are a few poachers I know. And they don’t care. Not much they care about around here, so I will have several things to contend with when that time comes.
I can track pretty good. I know we have a black bear in the neighborhood. So far, it hasn’t bothered anyone.
When I lived in fla. hurricane Andrew let a lot out of the zoo. And they resettled. Somewhere out there. I imagine if things got really bad, it would be the same for any area. Even a tornado could let loose many animals. Could get interesting.

Phytopthra, caused the crown and stems to rot on the plants, and stunted those it didnt kill, think it came on the seed as i havent ever had trouble with it, and now i know why they been having seed crop failures in kale ion the mainland. I usually can pick for 10-14 months but lost this one after only 2, so sorta threw a wrench into my incime, just lucky my very significant other has a decent job and doesnt squawk too much about picking up the tab when i am flat ass broke, last year was a really bad year. This year is starting out good, but not for farming, luckily have some furniture work im doing to fill the hole.

Have been slowly getting rolling again, soils cold right now though, so even my cover crops need to wait other than rye grass. Need to diversify and shrink my crops anyway, this year will be a big year for government sticking their nose and fingers in the farmers business over here, if you want to play by their rules and their game, i dont so changing direction. The more they take the less i will give

GMO is just flat dangerous. We DO NOT KNOW what they are going to do to us… there are other ways to divert this bug. I am a small scale gardener/farmer, and mainly deal with pecans, and small gardens to feed my family. Nicotine works wonders. Tobacco laced sprays kill bugs, bacteria, and fungus… and then degrade to harmless. Snuff is useful for more than just rotting off gums and lips. It’s a wonderful gardening tool.

Not organic but theres no GM kale,,,
Only way to really deal with this is crop rotation away from brassicas and to cover crop, even fungicides are limited in effectiveness so i dont really want to use them, just not worth it to use toxic stuff just to get a harvest. Am trying a different variety, and going to try and treat field with copper sulfate, may work or may just be plowing it under

One other note,
This microbe is similar to the one affecting the ohia on your island, DOA wont outright say this but when pressed was told this by one of our peeps over here. Lots of these diseases manifest in different ways with slight variations in different species.

The only way to get rid of gmo is to burn it.
Nothing goes back to ” normal” once exposed. Why do you think other cou tried burn it where it sits? And countries reject it?
There IS info out there that tells what gmo does to us. And none of it is good.

I live out in the sticks, mainland.
Here there is a abundance of wildlife. And there was also in the depression. Till people got hungry. Took three months to wipe out the deer. So…food disappears fast in a bad case.
Living on a island, if it gets bad…you will be the deer, pig or other meat.
Fish now has radiation in it. If you like your daily dose of radiation, eat fish or sea food from the sea.
In most places, people do not know how to grow food anymore. Least the mainlands.
Chemtrails and gmo’s fk up food. Get a greenhouse or make one.
There is documentation on what gmo’s will do to you…search the internet. They don’t hand out that info freely.

I am afraid this time it will be different. More different than anyone has a clue to. It will not be pretty.

Eppe, the only time I ever tried an MRE I threw it up immediately. The only freeze-dried food I have is Mountain House, the only one I found that’s edible. The MREs could become a barter item for those who are willing to eat them.

Brave, military MREs suck.
Homemade can be great, if you research on items that need no heat, but can be eaten out of the bag.
Easy to look up, easy to put together to your own taste.
A 2000 calorie meal in a bag could be a good item to trade with, guess it depends where you are in the food chain…
3-5-16 shootapaloosa…

3-5 is a Saturday. We meet at 9:30 and shoot by 10 or so.
3 hours below Blairsville.
Would be great to blow off a few rounds.
In 7 shoots, no one has ever said that sux.
Expect quite a crowd, but no one has been shot yet!!!
Meet alot of like minded people.
Many bring great food, gotten to be an occasion, get to shoot everything from .22 to Ak47 to 12 ga skeet.
Gun training for those who never shot before, one will have more fun than legally available.

I hate the you tube videos of the “boyfriend” that fails to tell his gf that a .50 cal will have recoil. And the guys giggle like girls. If I was the gf, I would pop the butt if that 50 upside his face just for laughing. Or the pistol too. I have seen women get hit in the face with the pistol. That pisses me off. Idiots that dont teach about recoil.
My dad started me out on a .22, then a 12 guage, then a mauser. And I was 12 and a ” girl.” But then again….. I was born and raised in Texas. Nothing else to explain.
I do love .45 acp. for self protection.
Lot of cops are not that great on targets. That surprised me.

Gal at the office, about 4’11”, 100 pounds in her shoes, put her hubby in the doghouse for six weeks because he gave her his .458 Winchester Magnum Model 70 to shoot without telling her it was an elephant cartridge. She says it’s just one more mark on the wrong side of the ledger for him. They’ve been married about six years so playing games with each other is not amusing to her anymore.

Lol…just the doghouse?
My “other half” would know better..;) I have irish and native american indian in me.
I have shot several kinds of guns. Just got rid of a 357 magnum. It’s fun to practice with, but needed the money for something else more useful. Got rid of my mossberg 500 too. That was a nice one. I wouldnt mind a .50 cal rifle..but who wouldn’t?
Im 5’4.

My neighbor gave me a case of MRE’s and ooffta, some of the stuff had way too much salt.I suppose that’s why it last so long. Gotta say though, was way better than the rations we had in country. Some went native on food[when we could]and that was better most of the time. peace

I’ve eaten MRE’s
found in a dump, in
Lancaster CA.
Very old , out of date,
but very good.
Mountain House, is
like eating puke.
I’ve tried and tried
to keep it down.
I’ll stick with
rice, beans and
Spam.

I have had MRE’s. I thought they tasted pretty good. Depends on how hungry you are I guess.
If a person is a picky eater, they will eventually starve or eat what they have. My old man will most likely starve.

The first four are worthless to me. And number 5.. I do some of that already. I prefer the 74’s and earlier. My dad also taught me mechanics. First I started out as a gopher. ..tools…then worked up. End to end. Bodywork, engines, transmissions, all of It.
My dad did teach me a few skills and I am glad he did. My mom did also starting at eight. Cooking, sewing , cleaning….etc.

I’ve studied general gardening, back To Eden gardening, Mittleider gardening, hydroponics, aquaponics, and all kinds of stuff in-between. I’ve been interested in making a go of it with custom vegetables, I’d really be interested in having a go at this where it’s legal.

If a republican gets elected expect the legal marijuana industry to collapse.

Obama used his “executive orders” to allow the marijuana industry to use the banking system. It used to be a cash only business before Obama allowed it.

When Obama did this he inadvertently allowed the drug cartels access to the banking system also. So now there are lots of marijuana producers funneling drug cartel funds through these legal marijuana shops legitimizing the cartel money.

Why would you expect the Republicans to undo anything that benefits bankers? Google biggest campaign donors to various candidates by name and you’ll see the bankers give large sums to each party and therefore own each party.

Thankz for sharing that. I wondered..now I know.
And when they undo it, guess what? If you have that in your system you may be pretty screwed. For many reasons. I’ve always thought something is wrong with this picture. Especially with big pharma not getting a cut. They want you to have a disease, not cure one.

Great article! It’s really annoying, but I’m too old to be a prostitute, which leaves out one line of work. Maybe we’ll go with organic gardening while our knees still bend. I am seriously concerned about the prospects of social security; whether we’ll get it, or whether it will go to the illegals or the Muslims. (No, we don’t have savings, even though we’re well past retirement age. Yes, we did save, but it all (ALL) went belly-up in the last two stock market crashes. My husband is working for medical insurance and regular income and I’m working to add to the increasing cost of groceries. Tell me again, that there is no inflation!

Not to beat it into the ground but the list is garbage. As noted; Truck driver may be a job that doesn’t even exist in a few years. A self driving truck is far easier to build than a self driving car,
Renewable energy? If we are in a true depression, we have way more electric power available than we need. Right now the biggest problem with wind is shortage of transmission lines and low demand. Solar power will be excellent, but If it gets cheap as it needs to it’s going to be mass produced with few people. Mostly go to Home Depot and install it yourself, made in China.
Medical; sure, but who’s going to pay? Everyone in the country isn’t going to support people just to keep us old duffers alive,
Vice, sure, all us old guy need lots of hookers and blow. Hookers were 10 Cents during the depression.
Food production? I’d just love to compete with all those illegals.
Sorry to be so negative; there will always be jobs. but if you want to get somewhere; find your own work. Otherwise the only growth industry until the final drop looks like Government.

Paranoid, I agree. I know they’ve been experimenting with self-driving cars but didn’t know about the self-driving trucks. I doubt if either one of those items will even fly. If/when we’re EMP’d, all bets are off on most things if not everything.

Some of the self-driving cars still need human intervention every mile. The government is now requiring all self-driving vehicles to have a human behind the wheel to take over when necessary. And they will also require a steering wheel, which some of the vehicles were lacking. Unless there is a redesign and rebuild of all the roads, streets, and loading zones in the whole country, I don’t foresee self-driving trucks coming in decades.

The medical profession will get paid the same way they were paid during the Great Depression, in commodities. Most people paid them with chickens, eggs, and other food.

You should be able to compete with illegals, as they don’t have any property.

I just love the mental image of 18 wheelers driving around with no human inside, and package delivery via drone. I’m sure there will never be an issue due to sudden storms, gusts of wind, or packages dropped on people.

I agree.
I dont really see much jobs like the ones mentioned in this story.
If it gets bad, where are you going to go? Most likely gas will run out. So, no trucks much less a vehicle.
Medical? Most cant afford it now.
If you get hurt or cut..might need some whiskey and someone who can sew you up. Same for dental.
Horse tail hair is good for sewing if you don’t have the real thing.
Best of all, know thy herbs.
If we have a emp or something worse….forget jobs. You will need to know how to make it on your own.

Try raised bed farming Vicky.. you can get large containers, 5 gallon one are usually free from many nurseries or only 50 cents or so.. use cinder blocks and plywood or v-groove metal for the “table” top and place the pots about knee high.. you’ll still be able to reach the crop fine and won’t have to bend your knees.. tomatoes do exceptionally well in pots.. order some Heirloom type seeds and you can really increase your income once word gets around.. if you live in a cold climate, consider a greenhouse ( which can be made fairly inexpensively ).

Other ideas for jobs when things go bad:

1) reliable home repairs.. people will always pay someone else to do something they perceive as hard / difficult or unpleasant. The key is reliable.

2) If you live in a semi rural area… septic system / water system maintenance… trust me.. NO ONE wants to pump their own septic tank or repack a carbon filter.

I could list many others.. but think about something that you don’t mind doing that most people hate to do and you’ll discover that people will happily pay you to do it for them. You can also trade services for goods or other services ( I know Vicky has already eliminated one possible service 😉 )… there are many other such arrangements. Trade eggs for electrical work.. tomatoes for painting… etc. etc.

We built a hoop house (20’x36′)couple years back, and built U shaped raised bed around the outside wall using 4″ cinder block, (30″ front-back, 28″ off floor) totaling about 90 linear feet, then a center bed 60″ x 24′. Filling them took quite a bit of work (used tractor front end bucket and a lot of hand shoveling), but once done, you’re good for a long time. Top 12″ is a mix of topsoil, peat moss, vermiculite….great growing medium.

Wife just finished harvesting the last of the broccoli yesterday (tonight dipped into single digits). Still have greens and cabbage in there, with frost blankets.

We don’t heat except if a real cold snap hits while we still have a lot in there, then heat with wood. Raised an AMAZING amount of food in there over the last few years. Totally changed our gardening methods, which used to be couple 1/4ac gardens. Highly recommend it.

Home and appliance repairs is always going to be a good self employment job. Amazing how few people can do for themselves.

Alternative energy, I’d sorta disagree with. Still way too expensive for most folks (even though I have set up an 11kw system on our own place…I believed Obama when he said a war on coal was coming !). I have a solar certification, (thinking it WOULD be the way to go) and I’ve set up a total of 2 other systems for other folks in 5 years. Cheaper panels doesn’t mean cheaper other components. I still think everybody ought to have some alternative means to generate power long term, but I think it will have to be hammered home down the road why they should have.

IF you live an area with a lot of timber, firewood and mobile sawmilling are a couple of other good areas to look at….especially the later. (everyone with a pickup and a chainsaw is in the firewood biz around here).

I have seen more than a few articles on raised beds where they suggest digging out the walk ways rather than bringing in tons of fill. You also dont necessarily need borders or retainage to make raised beds, can just have steeply sloped sides, this would save some $. Composting is important, not a quick process though, i tend to just incorporate plant waste in the beds. Been told its not the best thing to do but we dont have freeze in winter so biological activity is always going.

I know one guy who makes a business out of cleaning dog poop for pet owners. No joke! Drives a new truck with wrap around advertising, is punctual, polite and looks like a great guy. He’s doing well, I’d say.

Thank you and I do appreciate the ideas. The raised beds are doable. We’ve talked about that and your idea seems better than most. We’ve talked about my taking in laundry, as women did in the 1950s-60s. We have our own well (until EPA takes it over) and I make my own laundry soap. We also have a wood stove and sad iron, which are no fun to use, but I can and others might not know how. It’s going to take a few years for the locals to switch from chicken nuggets and French Fries to organic produce, but there will be a market sometime. We started off poor, and looks like we’ll end up poor, but we can do it. PS I think Mountain Home sucks, as well. The three big boxes I have will be bartering food.

Vicky,
There are some books on amazon you can get on raised beds. Just type it in the search.
Another option is verticle gardening the ISBN number is 978-1-61564-183-3
And strawbale gardening ISBN 978-1-59186-550-6
good interesting books.
Order asap in case things start falling apart.
My gut feeling is things may get worse sooner than we think. I hate my gut feelings, they usually are right. I do need one of those old irons. Thanks for reminding me. I don’t usually iron, but it could come in handy.
You ought to try sweet potato fries, they are so yummy. But more expensive. Usually with
sweet potatoes, I microwave them 12 minutes if you have 2 or 3. Open them up and add butter, cinnamon and honey. ( I do that with acorn squash too. 😉

I learned my lesson during the dot com crash. My wife has a 401k that her employer requires for 20 years and besides the principal we have put in there is only a 10% gain. All the gov plans are just scams to take your money and any bank wont pay you a dime in interest so what is the point..

Agree: had two friends who, on their parents’ advice, placed their money in mutual funds for retirement. They both lost out big time, and saw their savings evaporate. I kept mine offshore in a tax-free savings fund and all of it grew because interest rates at the time were 7 per cent. Don’t count on government or other pensions being worth much. Either they will tax it heavily before you draw it down, or they will hand it to you in a worthless currency with no inflation fix. I look at my government retirement pension and, probably, it will fund some beer and a nice dinner out: that’s it. It will not be my main source of income or wealth.

From personal experience, the 7 jobs that will thrive and survive are:

1) Government: they are the cockroaches of economic crises
2) Prostitutes: everyone needs to get off and it is a great backstop job for young women
3) Food sellers
4) Bars and sin businesses
5) Private contractors for war and security
6) Debt consolidation experts
7) Bankers

My grandma was a teacher in 1915 and quit her job when she invested in farm land to lease before the great depression, and that lease money went into buying more farm land to lease and it also gave her enough to live on. When she retired, she earned a decent living off the leases she had, and never had to work. She never sold the land, but my father did when she passed. He was better off with the leases because of the taxes when he sold the farm land.

Bingo California Resident! Gunsmiths are going to be worth their weight in gold without a doubt.
Also, I thought I’d toss THIS in here: wife and I have a two-story/two-level home (but it’s more like a Duplex as there is no way to get from upstairs to downstairs without going outside then entering through the ‘lower’ door. Anyway, the first level is all cement & block. We ripped out all the walls (non supporting) and hung three ‘giant’ lights (such as the kind used in indoor nurseries)? We have year round veggies and ‘whatnots’ growing year-round with 10hr days and the rest of each 24hr period in darkness. (Corn isn’t into growing inside …though I’ve no idea why this is). SCREW GMO foods!

I haven’t even opened my mouth yet all day and just heard that Turkey just invaded Syria..this is WW3 getting ready to start to prevent the 2016 election from happening..so they shot down the the Russian Su 24, blowup a Russian helicopter with a Tow missile and now the head chopping bastards think that russia will just sit and do nothing…Russian has no choice now they are going to attack turkey.
Just saying.

Kula, I just checked out that video. I’m not familiar with the source so can’t comment on them. In the meantime, check this out: dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3406672/historic-tavern-founding-fathers-key-discussions-led-bill-of-rights-accidentally-demolished-city-officials-did-not-know-history. A tavern in PA where the Founding Fathers had discussions which led to the Bill Of Rights was “accidentally demolished” because the city officials didn’t know the history of the building. the building wasn’t listed on the National Register Of Historic Places nor protected any other way! DISGUSTING!

Hcks. Where did you read about turkey and Syria? I want to check it out. The link provided by Kula didn’t look all that legit. Are you speculating about WW3? Why would turkey start the war? Why wouldn’t the US just start the war if we wanted a war? Why hasn’t a war started with Russia and Turkey? It’s cooled since the incident. I just wonder where you get information and I would like to read the same material.

I don’t know what this author thinks he knows, but he doesn’t know much. I’ve been a truck driver for almost 30 years so I think that qualifies as a career. I was going to be a math teacher or an engineer, but I ended up being a truck driver and I haven’t regretted it for one minute. I love this job, I have never gotten bored and at my age now I don’t think I’ll do anything else. I also don’t think we will ever not need truck drivers.

under security: problem if there are less police on the streets, then the opportunity for deployment of State or federal troops on the streets would become likely. Think about it.

But corrections, probation/parole officers could probably maintain employment, some clerks in the courthouse.
Plus, it has been posted that some sort of civil army, I think The President proposed this at the beginning of his 1st term that was as powerful as the military? This was discussed early in his 1st term and during his run for the office. perhaps I misunderstood.

Remember all the government organizations that purchased ammo?

Question: Who said that these purchases went to those organizations?

Just a thought.

For all of you who may get this snow that is coming, bless you all. Heard up to 24-40 inches, but not all the same time.

Coroner. (all burial services done while you wait)!
Hair Recycler? (long anyway)
Metal Recycling (especially lead and copper)
Any to do with Polymers (the ‘high’ end) assuming there are any resources left to work with.
I’m willing to bet that most here are quite likely ppl who are considered a “jack of all trades.” I am …motors, computers, construction (any type), SCUBA (or commercial underwater work pays HOT DOLLARS)! High morbidity rate too as it’s dangerous work).
How about providing Ferry Rides across lakes whose bridges have collapsed? (Few of our bridges will ever get repaired …just like most of our 2ndary roads across the nation (especially the ones up north that really get torn up by plows, frost-heaves, etc).

Men and women who understand how to fix anything with a motor or a engine run by electric or fuel .Used to be called a Mechanic but the bottom line fixing cars trucks boats airplanes tractors turning a wrench will keep you in needed supplies.

Yea, not to mention the deer tend to be way smarter and way faster and way better at hiding especially when theres that many bone heads wandering around in the brush, all the activity will push the game farther and farther away.

Keep in mind,
Game laws are designed to
make sure you have the least
chance of a kill.
Left to our greed and our
really good tools,
there wouldn’t be any
wild animals left.
By the way I hate Game
wardens. There is only
one on My island I would stop
to help, If and only, if he was dying.
That is only because I’m friends
with his brother.
Prep on!

In any post-SHTF scenario, there’s going to be all kinds of people in the woods with the same idea going after deer and whatever other game they can find. My family have been known to do some hunting ‘out of season’ on occasion themselves. I’ll bet even game wardens themselves will be out there hunting for game. they have to put food on their tables just like anyone else does.

That’s the same as the depression. But very shortly there were no deer or small game to be had. When I was little I never saw a deer in Ohio until I was 19, never saw a wild turkey until I was near 40. In 1840, 40,000,000 Buffalo in the west, by 1900+- 400. With todays population more people will get shot in the woods looking for deer, than deer.
I’ve met a lot of Game and Fish people here in Wy and in Ohio; all good helpful people.

You are more correct than you may realize. Shooting your competition ensures there will be at one more deer tomorrow. (…that’s what the boneheads will be thinking). If everyone runs off on their own, THINKING they can do it all …will sadly find out (most likely) that they can’t. But, matters such as that never become obvious until “after you’ve hit the brick wall” and realize you are ska-rewed.

Waste management , besides an all out collapse, septic services, garbage hauling, etc. never go away. Composting operations, Well and pump services are also very reliable and needed professions. Except during an all out collapse professions that are a absolute need that don’t suffer from a saturated overly competitive market are your best bets to keep food on the table.
I’ve owned and operated a septic service for the last 11 years and although it can be a shitty business (always shitty) never once have we not grown our operation over the course of all these years.

Police officer, fire fighter, prosecutor, corrections officer, physician, dentist, and mortician will all be around in some form long after everyone else has lost their job to China or to automation. Proviso: those are occupations in the above-ground economy. There are others in the black market.

It’s harder to operate a rig than a package car folks. The problem with trucking is wages suck for the responsibility you have. The shortage is due to people not being able to operate a truck. Look at the failure rate at driving schools. Plus people like to smoke dope so can’t have that. I can see why they would like to automate trucking. They have yet to come out with an automatic trans that is any good. Good luck to the industry it’s full of suck pumps and backstabbers anyhow. They are hard up they practically beg me to stay out. They can force overtime where I’m at by contract. I’m sur they like paying me time and half everyday after 8. Look at the hours of service in the log book. True some places pay peanuts by the mile. Only suckers work there. I’d go to shipping and receiving if I needed to. They cut my electric rate I’m in no rush to get a solar. Those places are slow right now. if vice is a money maker then how come the casino near me reported big losses due to not enough people gambling. Medical carreers I can see but with Obummer care most good docs don’t take it. If a dentist doesn’t take state medical he’s a keeper. Cop wanna bees that are security guards don’t make a lot of $ unless they are the armed kind that man gates at industrial plants and most of them are retired cops. Haven’t really found much truth in this clip.

Eppe I like mres but they just seem to expensive for how many you get. But they do kick ass and are convenient. Anyone know who has the best deals on mres post a link. Just don’t wanna pay$75 for 10 mres.

Some states are embracing solar power while others are fully controlled by existing power setups that has shut out solar power near completely. Florida’s government is one that fights against solar power to benefit the current fossil fuel industries. As far as cannabis growing, this plant should be legal throughout America, no valid reason exists to continue the war against a natural plant that people enjoy. There is no victim therefore there is no crime. Big Pharma will not give up their murderous chemical death rampage. Escape the brainwashing.

My profession will always be needed, and I know how to work safely outside a hospital! ( granted, there will be times when one is needed, but depending on the situation, one might have to improvise– think about the Dionne quintuplets, born at home, and put in little baskets on the door of the open oven to keep warm) I think they were all around 3-4 lbs at birth

I visited the Dionne quintuplets home in North Bay Ontario many yrs ago…..yes they did survive in baskets or shoe boxes when they were born…..think I heard the last one just passed away a yr or so ago…..take care, CC

Hey y’all….still out here in the woods…farming and doing what I can to get by…doing okay…as to the article what I always used to (and still do)say is,”do what you can with what you have where you are” and youll do fine…pay attention and opportunity will present itself…you have to do for yourself!
Glad to see all you “oldtimers” still here 🙂 …just a shout to let y’all know Im still out here…live free or die tryin! REB

I got a bit under 3 million accident-free miles under my belt in the big rigs, so, I know of where I speak. (even if I don’t know of where grammar is). Been doing this crazy-assed job for 20 yrs now.
Don’t believe everything you hear about those self-driving automobiles (4 wheels or 18). Sure, the technology is here, but, really, who wants to own a car that drives you around? Relinquishing the driving to a machine takes all the fun out of it! Seriously, most people will still insist on doing their own driving, no matter how bad they are at it.
As for self-driving trucks- that’s going to be even harder to accomplish. Who’s gonna flirt with the truck stop waitresses? Who’s gonna tell big ole whoppin’ lies to the highway patrol? Who, I ask you, is gonna keep giving dispatchers ulcers? Goodness knows, they deserve them.
Sure, truck driving is a crappy job. When you figure up the total time spent away from home, you end up a few dollars shy of minimum wage. Then there’s the DOT boys at the weigh stations, just hoping to catch you with a lost mud flap, a burned out tail light, a few small flames coming from the brakes, or some other minor little problem they can cite you for. Seems like they pick on us all the time. (honest, officer, I didn’t know that fender had fallen off, musta happened in the last mile or so…)
Also true, turnover is higher than any other occupation I know of. Current industry average for long haul drivers is around 100 to 110%. My current company has 1000 tractors, making us a mid-sized truck line by today’s standards. (although we are among the 10 largest of refrigerated carriers) We have to hire about 1100 drivers EVERY YEAR just to keep the driver seats filled. Sad as it is, that’s no joke. Even fast food has a better average than that. And it’s been that way longer than I’ve been in the profession.
Why the huge turnover? Frustration, disappointment, time away from loved ones are the main culprits. Shippers, and by extension, dispatchers, have totally unrealistic demands for delivery schedules.
Traffic, weather, road conditions and a hundred other variables, completely out of the drivers hands, are supposed to magically disappear so the cubicle dwellers can make their fairy tale schedules all come together. Ain’t never happened, and it never will. And fully automating the trucks isn’t going to fix that. If it would, we’d all be flying in pilot-less planes by now. That unrealistic demand for on-time delivery leads to much frustration.
Plus, the pay just isn’t what it ought to be. A rookie can expect to gross around $750 to $800 per week their first year. With 5 years experience it goes to about a grand, and at 10 years or more, about 12 or $1300. Sounds like a decent amount. Until you factor in taxes and the huge cost of living on the road. Now you’re looking at about $450 a week for a rookie and maybe 800 or $900 a week for a veteran in take-home pay. That’s not much, considering the number of hours required and the daily frustrations. Then add in the loss of 90% of your home life and… well, you can see why most people who come into this profession don’t stay.
In the 1970’s and 80’s, a truck driver earned 4 times the average wage of a typical service worker (hotel maid, maintenance worker, food service, etc) Today, truckers make twice what those folks do. Our standard of living, compared to other occupations, is HALF what it once was. And they wonder why there’s a driver shortage?
I don’t mean to sound like such a cynic. If I hated this job I’d quit. It’s just that I hate to see what’s become of this profession.
I’ve trained many new drivers the past few years, some of whom are very good, safe drivers. Sadly, most of them don’t stay. I love those guys like brothers (or sons) and many of them have stayed in touch long after they’ve left my company or trucking entirely.
It grieves me to see the profession I love get whored out to the lowest bidder. I don’t so much blame the truck lines as I do the gangster bankers who hold them hostage through a system of perpetual greed-induced debt slavery.
And it grieves me even further to see many of the men I’ve come to admire and care about as friends, get chewed up, abused and spit out by a ruthless greed driven system that cares not one bit about the human suffering involved.
These men, and all of us in the trucking industry (yes, even dispatchers), should be making a wage commensurate with the demands of the job. Drivers should be paid as if their job demanded 168 hours a week away from their homes and families, as it often does. And dispatch should be paid as if their job required daily interaction with the likes of me. (belive me, I wouldn’t work as cheap as they do!) But the pay is not there. So the driver shortage, the job openings (if you’re willing to do it) are there. And, whiz-bang technology of the future notwithstanding, those jobs will certainly be available just as soon as the dust settles from shtf.
Lord willing and we make it to the other side… I’ll see y’all somewhere down the road!

Forget trucking as a profession. The glory days are way past. I hear it from old timers about how it used to be. They made boat loads of cash. The wages suck this is why there is a shortage of drivers. No more being set up with your own rig and your name in gold leaf on the door. Now drivers are just an employee number. your better off making less $ and having a life.

should TSHTF
this article will give you a little taste of what is already out there

“The Battle for Room 314: My Year of Hope and Despair in a New York City High School is Boland’s memoir of his brief, harrowing tenure as a public-schoolteacher, and it’s riveting.There’s nothing dry or academic here. It’s tragedy and farce, an economic and societal indictment of a system that seems broken beyond repair.”

Just saw the article on info wars..turkey is after the lures, since isis was defeated by them, and turkey has attacked the political rival party in their own country so now they have advanced troops inside of Syria to take our the Kurds..i think russia will fix the problem for the Kurds. This is I believe is still the ingredients for ww3….as far as America is Concerned we have a big problem coming up. now he rat bastards poisoned the water supply in Michigan, I believe this was a false flags to declare martial law in the area so that they can start the round up of civilians..such a cowardist act would work in Texas..that I believe based on my research, would lead to a militaristic response from the citizenry. I believe that russia will launch a military surgical strike on Turkey which is justifiable considering what they have done..

I would be interested to know exactly what is keeping the dow from dropping more, my bet is companies buying and selling their own stocks and other such crap, anyone who is thinking nothings wrong is in for a rude awakening.

I am a chemical operator. Training time in my job is a good 5 years. There will always be a need for chemical operators and it will be very difficult to automate my job. Everything you buy, especially if it has something synthetic such as plastic was made at a chemical plant and the US is still a leading exporter of chemicals. With the price of natural gas so low,the massive capital to build a new chemical plant, and the time it takes to train your work force on how to operate it, it is one of the safest job around.

I just wanted to say how wel ome I feel here.
Yes I am fairly new ti the vroup. Been watching it for awhile.
Nice to see that I am talking to the walls still. Gues that’s what happens to most new people.
I see you all got it under control.and know most everything about it. No need for another person ( who you don’t know ) to offer another thought.
But that’s okay. No big deal treating someone like they are invisible. Just don’t ask me to watch your back. I will watch my own thank you.
Isnt that what friends are for besides supposedly chatting on a very friendly site?
Keep talking to yourself and your cabal of people.
Besides, you really have no clue what is coming. Just guessing. But it is going to be way worse than you think.
Do I care? No, hell I don’t.
Just don’t forget to put on your party hat and enjoy it when it comes.
Don’t bother replying….because you usually don’t. Why make it a first anyway?
What a site. And a welcoming one at that. Party on. 😉
Hell thel Ar15 group was more fun. Even though they were apes.

Please post Mac. I want this group to see how friendly they are.
Today was a rare one indeed. I had a person to reply.

take a chillaxitive, cinders…we will get to you in time….wutsamattuhyou?….got no patience?…i wondered about your screen name…i have seen to many women that thought they were a prin-cess, so that kind of put me off a bit…you had a few interesting things to say, but a lot of the people that post here already know all that stuff…keep on workin’ it, and you will make some friends eventually…rome wasn’t built in a day you know….whatever that means?

Buttcrack,
I used that name Cinderella just for shits and grins. Guess guys actually thought I wanted or considered me being one. Thats what is called, “making an assumption” on a persons part.
If you knew me…I am totally the opposite.
Looking at a terrorist straight in the eye and not showing any response on my part shows good enough restraint I think. I could see the hate In his eyes and especially If he didnt like the answer I gave him. Yeah the 911 guy. And no shit. I can still see what he looked like and what he wore, what he drove, the car and tags, shoes and what he bought in the store that i was helping that woman with. Next to the Venice Florida airport they were
practising at. I have to live with that in my head everyday, what that person plus the others I could identify ( around 5 of them.) What they did, bothers me.
Yet some could have been caught. But the you know whos in that area
didnt care to call back or visit the ones next door to me fixing to disappear like they did.
They didn’t give a rats ass. And those people are gone now. I received threats then because I was helping his white american wife that was in the middle of that shit. She didn’t know her husband was funneling cash money out of Detroit. I had to hide her butt many times. She was a useful ostrich to them.
Did I care? No. Still don’t. She is probably dead by now. And I could care less if a raghead comes looking. Bring it. Please do.

Betcha no one knows that story. Hows that for a first? How many of you have looked eye to eye with one? Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
And I don’t care if I get a visit now either. Im tired of remembering that day. And the
movies.
I will put on my tombstone ” thank God almighty im free at last.” 😉

I could have used one of my other names like Vstrike.
I like snakes, Cobras in particular. (and please, no jokes about you have one too., I get that reply enough.) I have a tattoo of one, my design and damn proud of it.
I chose it for a reason. And not just because they are pretty.

Like you said, everyone knows all the stuff I say. So why post. And if I have to wait…..for
someone to get to me? I don’t have the patience. Im not a dog waiting on shit or orders. And I really don’t care to have “friends.”
Take a chillaxitive? Really…

Where did I put my can of “TROLL B’ GONE” Hmm, I’ll find it soon enough….

BTW, I get the vibe you are a typical 30-something woman looking to change shit that ain’t in your control. So you come VOLUNTARILY to this site and expect to change the way everyone else reacts in this forum to please/validate you?!

Works on your pussy-whupped hubby, but not us. You don’t like the scenery, move on troll bait 🙂 Is that a response worth waiting for???

“Thats what is called, “making an assumption” on a persons part.”…yes, that’s what humans DO….we make “assumptions”….based on the information YOU provide us… so yes, i got a mental picture of you….or you may call it “JUDGING”, if you prefer…i suspect you are quite familiar with that term…by all means you may judge me too.

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